New Delhi:
The ICC Women’s World T20, which will be held in Australia from February 2020 is a special moment for the country as they will host this tournament for the first time. The ticket sales for the first match between Southern Stars and India at Sydney are on sale and there has been plenty of promotional activities around this tournament. Alyssa Healy, the wicketkeeper of the Australian cricket team that has won four World T20s till now, has already etched her name and the tournament into the Guinness World Records. The record category which Healy won was for the highest catch ever taken.
The record was set by Kristan Baumgartner in the United Kingdom in 2016, when she took a catch from a ball dropped from a drone at 62 metres. Previously, former England captain Nasser Hussain equalled the record. The swirling conditions at the MCG added an extra dimension to the challenge and on the first attempt, Healy missed it completely as the ball burst through her gloves.
“After I didn't get a hand on the first practice and then the next one went straight through my gloves there was cause for concern,†Healy told the ICC in their official website. “You don’t get the cue from the ball going up in the air off the bat and it was swinging a lot on the way down because it just gets dropped.†After missing the second attempt, Healy managed to pocket the catch on the third and final attempt when the Pink Ball was released from a drone at 80 meters and the catch was taken. The elation by Healy, who is the wife of Australian cricketer Mitchell Starc, was evident as to how she wanted to be part of history.
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— ICC (@ICC) February 21, 2019
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A @GWR record catch for @ahealy77! 💪
â–¶ï¸ https://t.co/4hotv082ST pic.twitter.com/v1X3CP9N1B
The irony that it was me under the high ball was not lost.....
— Alyssa Healy (@ahealy77) February 21, 2019
Was a fun morning and a pretty cool experience!
Make sure you get your tickets and join in on a World Record!! You can watch the full video here: https://t.co/SJuJJTG9Am pic.twitter.com/xriwbIjXkP
“It was pure elation to get it, I didn’t want everyone to come and not get the record so when I’d secured it in the gloves I carried on like a bit of a pork chop, but overjoyed to break the record,†Healy stated.
Officials from the Guinness Book of World Records was present and they gave her the plaque commemorating her entry into this elite list. The men’s edition of the World T20 in Australia in 2020 will begin on October 18 and the first match will be on October 24 between Australia and Pakistan at the new Perth stadium. India will start their campaign against South Africa also at the new Perth stadium in Perth. The final will be played at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on November 15.
